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Bay Area Arts and Entertainment BlogMon, 30 Mar 2015 12:40:46 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1Best protest songs: No. 21, â€œGet Up, Stand Upâ€ – Bob Marleyhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/10/10/best-protest-songs-no-21-%e2%80%9cget-up-stand-up%e2%80%9d-bob-marley/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/10/10/best-protest-songs-no-21-%e2%80%9cget-up-stand-up%e2%80%9d-bob-marley/#commentsFri, 10 Oct 2008 08:31:39 +0000Jim Harringtonhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/concerts/?p=1200
In honor of this election year, I am looking back at the 25 greatest protest songs of all time. Iâ€™m starting with No. 25 and working my way up. Note: Each artist was only eligible to have one song make… Continue Reading →]]>In honor of this election year, I am looking back at the 25 greatest protest songs of all time. Iâ€™m starting with No. 25 and working my way up. Note: Each artist was only eligible to have one song make the list. To read past entries on this list, click here.21, â€œGet Up, Stand Up,â€ Bob Marley (1973)
A religious protest song in nature, â€œGet Up, Stand Upâ€ railed against mainstream Christianity and implored Rastafarians to uphold their own beliefs. That direct and specific message seems to have been lost on most ears, which heard the song simply as an anthem to â€œstand up for your rights.â€ Marley might not have approved of that broader interpretation, but weâ€™re more than OK with it. Other worthy Marley contenders considered for this list included â€œRedemption Songâ€ and â€œBuffalo Soldier.â€
Video:
]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/10/10/best-protest-songs-no-21-%e2%80%9cget-up-stand-up%e2%80%9d-bob-marley/feed/8Bob MarleyWhoopi Goldberg travels to ”Xanadu” on Broadwayhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/08/04/whoopi-goldberg-travels-to-xanadu-on-broadway/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/08/04/whoopi-goldberg-travels-to-xanadu-on-broadway/#commentsMon, 04 Aug 2008 20:26:42 +0000Karen D'Souzahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=5471
Now we are here in Xanadu. Comic icon Whoopi Goldberg says she’s thrilled to be back on Broadway, where she first came to fame as a solo-show performer before hitting the Hollywood jackpot. Goldberg, fresh off her regular gig co-hosting… Continue Reading →]]>Now we are here in Xanadu. Comic icon Whoopi Goldberg says she's thrilled to be back on Broadway, where she first came to fame as a solo-show performer before hitting the Hollywood jackpot. Goldberg, fresh off her regular gig co-hosting ''The View'' is camping it up in this cheesy-retro musical homage to the massive '80 flop starring Olivia Newton John. Goldberg will play the evil Caliope in the Tony-nominated roller-skating tuner for six weeks this summer before heading back to TV land.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/08/04/whoopi-goldberg-travels-to-xanadu-on-broadway/feed/3whoopi-apCheech and Chong reconcile — and plan to visit San Josehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/07/29/cheech-and-chong-reconcile-and-plan-to-visit-san-jose/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/07/29/cheech-and-chong-reconcile-and-plan-to-visit-san-jose/#commentsTue, 29 Jul 2008 22:59:43 +0000Mark de la Vinahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=5467
What are they smoking? That was our initial reaction on hearing a report of a Cheech and Chong reunion. The idea seemed as plausible as Paul and Ringo teaming up with holographic stand-ins for John and George on a tour-ific… Continue Reading →]]>What are they smoking?
That was our initial reaction on hearing a report of a Cheech and Chong reunion. The idea seemed as plausible as Paul and Ringo teaming up with holographic stand-ins for John and George on a tour-ific jaunt down memory lane with the former Beatles.
But faster than you can fire up a comedy crowd's imagination, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong have indeed settled their differences. They will hit the road and perform in San Jose on Nov. 30.Â (More details to come.) On Wednesday, the pair will discuss the reunion at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, the club where their joint venture caught on in the early '70s.
I was surprised to hear the news because when Chong spoke to me inÂ 2005, he said Marin had rejected the idea of a reunion. "He considers himself an actor," Chong said, "someone above the comedy. He wouldn't do the characters and he won't grow his mustache back."Â
Marin and Chong engaged in a nasty hissing match in print back then. After Marin appearedÂ in a Target store TV commercial, Chong called his former partner a "professional Mexican" and a "sellout." Marin responded in the New York Daily News: "Gramps is a little old. It's so sad when stoners get to the AARP age, you know? Who knows what's on Tommy's mind! It's theÂ Alzheimer'sÂ age."
Apparently, all that bad blood has been forgotten.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/07/29/cheech-and-chong-reconcile-and-plan-to-visit-san-jose/feed/10Patton Oswalt: In pop culture, we trusthttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/23/patton-oswalt-in-pop-culture-we-trust/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/23/patton-oswalt-in-pop-culture-we-trust/#commentsTue, 24 Jun 2008 01:07:50 +0000Mark de la Vinahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=5410
There are many reasons to like Patton Oswalt — other than the fact that he is probably the best comedian on the planet. The guy has such an affinity for popular culture that he’ll sign up to provide color commentary… Continue Reading →]]>There are many reasons to like Patton Oswalt -- other than the fact that he is probably the best comedian on the planet.
The guy has such an affinity for popular culture that he'll sign up to provide color commentary for the Lucha VaVOOM wrasslin' and burlesque extravaganzas.Â (Alas, he will not be among the masked grapplers when they come to the Fillmore in San Francisco on Sunday.) And heÂ is the guy who moderated the Q&A session with the cast of "Freaks and Geeks" at SF Sketchfest last February because of his love for the show.Â
If you can't wait for Oswalt's appearances at Cobb's Comedy ClubÂ in San Francisco from Aug. 7-10, then marvel at another facet of his pop culture-loving self when he fills in for Sex Pistol-turned-DJ Steve Jones on "Jonesey's Juke Box" at Indie 103/1, the L.A. radio station.
Â ]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/23/patton-oswalt-in-pop-culture-we-trust/feed/0patton-oswalt-cropGeorge Carlin: More than just another seasoned comedianhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/23/george-carlin-more-than-just-another-comedian/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/23/george-carlin-more-than-just-another-comedian/#commentsMon, 23 Jun 2008 22:17:29 +0000Mark de la Vinahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=5406
When it comest to comedy, no one other than Richard Pryor had the impact and staying power of George Carlin. Seinfeld had the hit sitcom about nothing. Chris Rock forced audiences to acknowledge race. Steve Martin could be Wild &… Continue Reading →]]>When it comest to comedy, no one other than Richard Pryor had the impact and staying power of George Carlin.
Seinfeld had the hit sitcom about nothing. Chris Rock forced audiences to acknowledge race. Steve Martin could be Wild & Crazy andÂ Â write for the New Yorker. But Carlin, outside of Pryor, is the guy who forced people to pay attention, to keep their b.s. detectors up and running. He grew a bit cantankerous toward the end, but few comics have remained as pertinent, biting and dead-on for a longer stretch of time.Â
My colleague Mike Antonucci had some nice things to say about Carlin, who died yesterday. He was scheduled to perform at the Mountain Winery in Satatogay on July 31. (Refunds are available at point of purchase, according to Live Nation, the show's promoter.) But what was perhaps left out was the depth of his impact, that Carlin was a trailblazer who forced audiences to truly examine language and reconsider what should be considered offensive. The guy was like William Safire with counterculture-tempered sense of humor. And any kid raised Catholic couldn't help but gobble up his jokes that clearly were shaped in the crucible of a strict parochial upbringing.
Carlin could point out the absurdities of banning the word like "fart" from TV or radio. No, it wasn't among the seven dirty words, but it was part of his supplemental list of things forbidden from radio and TV in the '70s. Shakespeare could joke about passing gas in "The Two Gentleman of Verona,'' but in the days of Watergate, if you used the popular term for breaking wind, the FCC would break your bank.
Besides the unbelievable influence he had on everyone from Bill Hicks to Dave Chappelle, Carlin was a guy who kept the fires burning long after his peers got boring or moved to Branson, Mo. He delivered more than four decades of great material. Look at what happened to Mort Sahl, Bill Cosby or numerous other comedians whose stand-up lost its relevance. Carlin was able to endure as a stand-up performer who ruled the stage. And in a field where most funnymen are just looking to jump onto a hit TV series, that says a lot.Â
(Photo credit: Comedy Central)]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/23/george-carlin-more-than-just-another-comedian/feed/2georgecarlin2R.I.P. George Carlinhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/23/rip-george-carlin/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/23/rip-george-carlin/#commentsMon, 23 Jun 2008 17:37:21 +0000Mike Antonuccihttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=5404Continue Reading →]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/23/rip-george-carlin/feed/21Jimmy Fallon’s Improv performance primes him for “Late Night”http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/20/jimmy-fallons-improv-performance-primes-him-for-late-night/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/20/jimmy-fallons-improv-performance-primes-him-for-late-night/#commentsFri, 20 Jun 2008 14:34:58 +0000Mark de la Vinahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=5397Continue Reading →]]>San Jose ImÂprov on Thursday, Fallon, 33, continues to season himself for his future hosting duties. (He also made a little-publiÂcized Improv appearance opening for Owen Benjamin in February 2008.) The sketch comedy veteran's mixed, spoÂradically funny set was the first in a four-night run filling the middle slot between comÂics Wayne Federman and Mo Mandel.
Opening with his guitar in hand, Fallon's stand-up rouÂtine hasn't moved far beyond the ragamuffin troubadour persona that has paid him divÂidends on everything from his 2002 comedy disc ""The BathÂroom Wall'' to his hosting of the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. He opened his 25-minute set with "Car Wash for Peace'' and closed it with a couple of other satirical ditÂties, leaving little room for performing actually stand-up material.
Aside from his general likÂability, Fallon's strength has always been his ability to lamÂpoon pop culture, such as a bit about "Extreme Makeover Home Edition'' host Ty PenÂnington or his somewhat
shameful admission of his love for Disney's "High School Musical.'' He called into quesÂtion the teen phenomenon's authenticity because it depicts a school where "everyone's singing and dancing and no one's getting their asses kicked.''
Fallon returned to the stage for another 10 minutes at the close of the show, playfully riffÂing with a piano-playing FedÂerman. The highlight of his set, and the entire evening, was his convincing demonÂstration of how seemingly evÂery silly '80s pop hit -- from "The Safety Dance,'' by Men
Without Hats, to ""Never Gonna Give You Up,'' by Rick Astley -- can be sung over "U Can't Touch This,'' by MC Hammer. As amusing as it was to get Rick-rolled, it came off as little more than a party gag.
The TV-host-in-training still needs to hone his stand-up skills, but he at least has a defÂinite persona that should lend itself to fronting a talk show. Everyone from David LetterÂman to Jay Leno initially struggled when they landed their own gabfests. When O'Brien replaced LetÂterman on "Late Night'' in 1993, his claim to fame was that he had worked as the exÂecutive producer of "The
Simpsons.'' Perhaps Fallon can take heart in the knowlÂedge that like O'Brien, he also cut his performance teeth as a member of the Groundlings, the Los Angeles-based ImÂprov troupe.
Fallon performs with Federman and Mandel at 8 and 10 p.m. tonight, 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday, and 7 p.m. June 22 at the Improv, 62 S. Second St., San Jose; $25; (408) 280-7475, www.improv.com.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/20/jimmy-fallons-improv-performance-primes-him-for-late-night/feed/2Lewis Black: He will be backhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/16/lewis-black-seriously-funny/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/16/lewis-black-seriously-funny/#commentsTue, 17 Jun 2008 03:26:46 +0000Mark de la Vinahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/?p=5378
Comedian Lewis Black’s Commonwealth Club-sponsored appearance atÂ Cubberley Theatre in Palo Alto onÂ TuesdayÂ is sold out — and you know it’s all becauseÂ Mercury News columnistÂ Mike Cassidy is moderating. Don’t let it get you down if you’re going to miss Black. You can… Continue Reading →]]>Comedian Lewis Black's Commonwealth Club-sponsored appearance atÂ Cubberley Theatre in Palo Alto onÂ TuesdayÂ is sold out -- and you know it's all becauseÂ Mercury News columnistÂ Mike Cassidy is moderating.
Don't let it get you down if you're going to miss Black. You can get a great sampling of "The Daily Show" regularÂ in "Me of Little Faith" (Riverhead, 256 pp. $24.95), his rant fest that came out on June 3.
"Every page in this book has the potential to offend someone,Â somewhere, in perpetuity, throughout the universe," BlackÂ promises in print.
If you prefer to hearÂ Black discuss his comedy, please give a listen to my podcast interview of Black from August 2007.
And don't forget, Black performs on Aug. 17 at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Tickets: $49.50-69.50; (408) 998-8497.
(Photo credit: Comedy Central)
Â ]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/16/lewis-black-seriously-funny/feed/7blackDana Gould hits the San Jose Improv tonighthttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/05/dana_gould_hits_the_san_jose_improv_tonight/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/05/dana_gould_hits_the_san_jose_improv_tonight/#commentsFri, 06 Jun 2008 00:05:41 +0000Mark de la Vinahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/05/dana_gould_hits_the_san_jose_improv_tonight/Continue Reading →]]>this old clip from 1995 where he recounts meeting Bob Hope.
Gould performs at 8 p.m. today, 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday at the Improv, 62 S. Second St., San Jose; $16-$18; (408) 280-7475, www.improv.com.
If you find that you are so enamored with Gould that you think to yourself, "Hey, what if the guy could somehow provide color commentary for, oh, I dunno, some masked Mexican wrestlers?" Well, the guy can: Later this month, Gould will join MC Blaine Capatch (another vet of the SF comedy scene) for Lucha VaVOOM, a campy, vaudeville-style grab bag of lucha libre, burlesque and comedy. The show is a hoot, but I'll save the gorey details for a future blog item.
[photopress:small_chicken.jpg,thumb,alignright]Lucha VaVOOM is at 8 p.m. June 29 at the Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., San Francisco; $27.50;Â Â (408) 998-8497, www.ticketmaster.com.
Â (Photo of the Flying Chickens, by Don Spiro) Â Â Â ]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/06/05/dana_gould_hits_the_san_jose_improv_tonight/feed/4Russ Meneve: Kicking cancer to the curb through comedyhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/05/12/russ_meneve_kicking_cancer_to_the_curb_through_comedy/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/05/12/russ_meneve_kicking_cancer_to_the_curb_through_comedy/#commentsMon, 12 May 2008 15:24:03 +0000Mark de la Vinahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/05/12/russ_meneve_kicking_cancer_to_the_curb_through_comedy/Continue Reading →]]>www.improv.com.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/05/12/russ_meneve_kicking_cancer_to_the_curb_through_comedy/feed/2